a A oo Poe Chad Ef] ay at © =o LE, 2wWins. | Paeey aye arc, A tiie 4 ithe ill |e te, i PGs fhe ji | me Tan Forpippgen Visir Tro Mrs. SaunpErRs’ Corracn. a) A Wale S, BY L. E. TIDDEMAN, Author of “Toddy;” &c. LONDON: BLACKIE & SON, 49 & 50 OLD BAILEY, EC. GLASGOW, EDINBURGH, AND DUBLIN. CONTENTS. Chap. Page ee ACVASIE TO AUNTENELLIE ys satieene on i TTS ANTS IVISA UAT ea et rg ener eee spr vneren gee Lt III. Tur Fruit or DISOBEDIENCE,. 385 AVeeee ATS VaS OLUNESSS oige eee oe erence 40 V. A Happy Meeting, ...-.... .° 60 THE TWINS. =o CHAPTER I. A VISIT TO AUNT NELLIE. fey AISY AND POPPY were twins, and very i e like the flowers after which they had been named. Daisy had a little fair face, with cheeks of a delicate rose pink. She was gentle and shy. Poppy had the brightest of colours, and was as daring as could be. Left alone, Daisy would never have got into mischief; but Poppy was never out of it, and whatever she did her sister was bound to do also. Not that Poppy meant to be naughty; she used to make good re- solves every night when she went to bed, and break them in the morning when she got up again. She had such a tiresome way of forgetting every- thing she was told that only a very patient mother 8 THE TWINS. could possibly have put up with it. But Mrs. Montrose was very patient indeed and seldom scolded. Although when she sighed and said, “Poppy dear, you must pray to God to help you remember,” Poppy used to feel so sorry that she ‘thought she never could forget again. Unfortun- ately, however, she had a way of getting excited, and then everything went out of her head all at once. The children lived in the country, and there was no lady whom the poor folks loved better than their mama, Mrs. Montrose. She was good and kind to them, not only when they were ill and in trouble, but at all times. She did not talk to them as if she thought herself above them because she was rich and lived in a fine house. ' Quite the contrary. She seemed to feel herself their friend; and their friend she certainly was. ‘She is a real lady,” they all said; ‘a real lady without any airs and graces.” And they were right; for no real lady ever puts on airs and graces, you may be sure. In this way Daisy and Poppy were like their mother. They used to run in and out of the cot- tages just as they liked, and every one was glad to see their smiling faces, and hear their pleasant cheerful voices. Tt would be “How do you do, Mrs. Jones? I A VISIT TO AUNT NELLIE, 9 have brought such a pretty picture-book for Jack” (Jack was a cripple); or “Good morning, Mrs. Prodgers. How’s the baby?” and so on. Though they were only seven they had been taught to take an interest in their neighbours, and to be very sorry if anyone was ill. One bright, sunny morning in summer the two came down to breakfast, looking fresh and pretty in their clean, white frocks, and in high spirits. Mama and Papa were at the table. In ran the little ones helter-skelter. What a noise they made, to be sure; but nobody grumbled, not even Papa, though Poppy nearly covered him with kisses. He only said “Softly, Pussy, let Daisy have her turn,” and lifted her down to make room for her sister. The twins chatted all through breakfast; they were to have a holiday from lessons, and’ were full of plans. « All day to amuse ourselves in,” said Poppy. “How lovely. No sums—no geography (Poppy called it jography)—no horrid multiplication table.” “ And no scales,” cried Daisy. ‘Mama, we can go to see Aunt Nellie, can’t we? and if she asks us we can stop to lunch?” “Yes,” said Papa and Mama both together. So that was settled. Then Poppy had a bright idea. 10° THE TWINS. “ Ag we come back,” she said, “I'll just tell you what else we can do. We can go and see Mrs. Saunders down by the toll gate, and ask after Sarah Anne.” “Who and what is Sarah Anne?” asked Papa smiling. “Sarah Anne is Mrs. Saunders little girl,” an- swered Poppy. ‘She's only five, and she is not at all well. She feels ever so sick, Mrs. Saunders said so yesterday. And she has to stop in bed all day.” “Oh, that must be horrid,” put in Daisy shaking her head gravely. “TI call it the horridest thing to have to stay in bed. I shall take her my doll, the oldest of course; I could not give her the new one. I got it for a present, and Mama says one ought not to give presents away.” « And, Mama,” cried Poppy at the top of her voice, “couldn’t you give me a pot of jam for Sarah Anne. Jam is so nice when you are ill; except currant jam.” “ Why not currant?” asked Papa. “Powders!” exclaimed both the little girls, screw- ing up their faces. They meant that it made them think of powders, because they had taken them many times in that particular kind of jam. “T am very sorry to disappoint you, dears,” said A VISIT TO AUNT NELLIE. 11 Mama gently (she was always sorry if she had to say no to any request her little girls made); “but I really must. I cannot let you go to Mrs. Saun- ders.” “Oh, Mama!” they both cried in a breath. “And why not?” asked Poppy crossly. Mama was just going to answer, but Papa would not let her. “That is not the way little girls should speak,” he said gravely. “If you had asked in a polite way Mama might have told you, but now I am sure she will not. She has forbidden you to go to Mrs. Saunders, and that is quite enough.” And so it should have been, I am sure. But it was not. Poppy was in a naughty temper in a minute. She pushed her plate away, shrugged her shoulders, put her finger in her mouth, and looked sulky. There was not much sense in this; but I have seen plenty of little children do the same, besides some bigger ones who ought to have known better. Mama and Papa were wise, they took no notice whatever, but left her to come to her senses again; which she very soon did, for Poppy was not a sulk and never kept cross for long together. As soon as breakfast was over she and Daisy were in the garden shouting at the top of their voices, and laughing as if there were no such 12 THE TWINS. things in the world as bad tempers, or frowns, or disappointments. When Mama called them and said they might go to Aunt Nellie’s now if they liked, they were quite surprised to find how quickly the time had flown. But they did not lose many minutes get- ting ready, you may be sure. To go to Aunt Nellie’s was such a treat; and there was no need to take Nurse with them, they knew every inch of the way, and of course in the country there is no fear of being run over, there are so few carts and carriages. The twins walked hand in hand, stopping from time to time to gather wild flowers which grew by the hedge-row—ragged robin, harebells, and great ox-eyed daisies. Daisy was very fond of her god- mothers as she called these last flowers, and she stuck a great bunch of them in her sash. Aunt Nellie was very glad to see her nieces. She was seated by the window stitching busily, but she put her work aside and began to bustle about directly. ‘When she opened the sideboard door the children knew that she would find something nice inside, and so she did. No one’s cakes were as good as hers, and she cut a large slice for each of them. She was so generous I don’t think she would have “A VISIT TO AUNT NELLIE. 13 known how to cut a small one. Then they sat still and rested for a while before going into the garden to gather strawberries. Each child had a little basket given her, and was told to fill it as full as it would hold. Of course as they might eat as many as they liked at the same time, it was a pretty good while before the baskets were filled. “Oh! I must eat this monster big one,” cried Daisy. “These little ones are too scrimpy to put in,” added Poppy cramming four or five very small berries into her mouth all at once. Aunt Nellie laughed and sat down on the garden seat, being tired of waiting. But at last their pleasant task was over, and the twins went indoors to see Grand- ma, who sat in her arm-chair with Bob the big white cat on her knee, and her spectacles on her nose. Bob must be stroked of course, and his whiskers had to be admired. They were really uncommonly long and straight, and he himself was a remarkably handsome fellow, and sang as loud as any tea-kettle. Though he was pretty old he could play like a kitten, and never stuck out his claws in a spiteful way, or tried t6 scratch you.